Imitation marijuana problem: K2 – Nola Diamond

The states of Missouri and Kansas have a new problem on their hands. As the saying goes, there’s nothing like the real thing, but industrious marijuana users have seized on an obscure but easily accessible substance that mimics the drug’s effects on the brain — creating a popular trade in legal dope that has stymied law enforcement authorities.

These users are buying a product known as “K2”, or Spice, Genie, or Zohai that is commonly sold in headshops as incense. These products are produced in China and Korea and are the mixture of herbs and spices is sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Users roll it up in joints or inhale it from pipes, just like the real thing.

K2 is banned in most of Europe, and it’s key ingredients are not regulated in the United States — a gap that has prompted lawmakers in Missouri and Kansas to consider new legislation. Authorities in Johnson County, Kansas, discovered ex-convicts on probation smoking K2, and it’s spreading to high schools. The owner of The Vise smoke shop in a St. Louis suburb, who said she only sells to adults.

She said she sells about 60 packages a week, with suppliers calling her weekly to pitch new brands. She said she’s keeping an eye on what state lawmakers decide, though.

K2 costs between $20 and $50 for three grams — similiar to the street price of marijuana — but with the key advantages of being legal and undetectable in drug tests. The key ingredients are believed to be the unintended result of scientific research on marijuana’s effects. A Clemson University organic chemistry professor, Dr. John Huffman, was researching the effects of cannabinoids on the brain when his work resulted in a 1995 paper that contained the method and ingredients used to make the compound. That recipe found its way to marijuana users, who replicated Huffman’s work and began spraying it onto dried flowers, herbs and tobacco.

The new bill proposed in Missouri would make possession a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison — identical to punishments given to users of real marijuana. A similar bill in Kansas would make possession a misdemeanor, with up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine, also the same as marijuana convictions. In the rural southern Missouri city of West Plains, K2 is sold in a head shop just blocks from the high school. A botched attempt by teens to steal K2 from the shop brought the substance to the attention of police.

Even though it’s legal, the military has banned K2. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has classified it a “drug or chemical of concern.” Compared to marijuana, the high is much shorter according to some users.

There is no data on the drug’s toxicity or how long it stays in the body. In mice, it can lead to a lower body temperature, partial paralysis and the temporary inability to feel pain, according to the DEA.

One of the few studies of the compound’s use was performed by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, a Portugal-based agency of the European Union, in November 2009. The study found the amount of synthetic compound varies widely between brands, and that despite being widely available, it isn’t clear how many Europeans use it.

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newsdeskinternational

02/26/2010 – 10:37 am

Kansas passes bill banning marijuana substitute

The Kansas House of Representatives passed a bill Feb. 3 banning the sale and possession of K2, a synthetic drug with effects similar to marijuana. If the bill is signed into law, Kansas will become the first state to ban K2.

This blend of herbs sprayed with what authorities call a synthetic marijuana-like drug is producing unpredictable effects when smoked. The state of Missouri has issued a health alert about the products and that prompted the decision by the St. Charles County Council to pass an emergency ordinance banning it. The herb concoction is sold as “K2” “Genie” and “Zohai”, often in gas stations or convenience stores. Juveniles as well as adults have been able to purchase it.

The Missouri Senate has voted to ban the synthetic marijuana K-2, following the lead of the House which advanced a similar ban earlier. Before moving the bill into position for final passage, the Senate turned back Senator Joan Bray’s amendment legalizing the smoking of marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Columbia Senator Kurt Schaefer, the sponsor of the bill says K2 is banned in two counties and all of the countries of Europe. He called It an “extremely dangerous” product with unknown longterm effects.

Although Schaefer warned Bray her proposed amendment endangered the bill’s chances for passage if her amendment was added, she refused to withdraw it Senators voted it down 5-26 about twenty minutes later. Schaefer’s bill needs one more favorable round of voting to go to the House. The House tentatively approved its version of the bill on Monday. Both bills are expected to gain final passage in their chambers by the end of this week. The first one to pass the other chamber goes to the governor’s desk for his signature.

They got it from the internet – K2 – or synthetic marijuana – and it landed three Seaford residents in the hospital last weekend. Emergency personnel were called to Arch Street Saturday for three apparent drug overdoses. Seaford Police say the three lacked motor skills, had trouble breathing, heart palpitations and projectile vomiting. Nanticoke Hospital had been alerted in a health advisory and knew how to treat them.

Following the hospitalization of three people from Seaford over the weekend, officials with the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services warn the use of “Spice” could pose a serious danger to those who use it.

“Spice,” also known by various other names including “K2”, “K2 Spice”, ”, “K2 Summit”, “Genie”, and “Zohai”, is an unregulated mixture of dried herbs that are sprayed with a synthetic cannabinoid-like substance and typically sold as incense.

“The mixture is sold in small packets at a cost similar to the street price of marijuana,” said Kevin Huckshorn, Director of the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. “It’s gaining popularity probably because it’s legal and difficult to detect in drug tests, but its use can result in serious health problems.”

Signs and symptoms of “Spice” use reported to The Poison Center have included tachycardia (elevated heart rate in the range of 110 to 150 beats per minute), elevated blood pressure (in the 140-160/100-110 range), anxiety, pallor, numbness and tingling, vomiting, agitation (which can be severe and require sedation), hallucinations (which can be intense), and, in some cases, tremors and seizures.

The Missouri Senate has approved its version of a bill banning synthetic compounds thought to mimic the effects of marijuana.

The Senate passed the measure Thursday by a 33-0 vote.

The synthetic compounds, commonly known as K2, are applied to dried herbs and flowers and often sold as incense. The substance produces a marijuana-like high when smoked or inhaled.

The House passed its version of the bill Wednesday. Both chambers also approved making the ban effective as soon as the governor signs the bill. But the two chambers still must agree on the same version before the legislation can go to Gov. Jay Nixon.

For paranoid potheads a legal alternative to marijuana can be appealing, but a recent study has shown that faux weed poses the same danger as the street product.

K2, also known as “fake marijuana,” is a mixture of herbal and spice plant products that is sprayed with a potent psychotropic drug, and, according to Scalzo, contaminated with a toxic substance. The toxic substance JWH 018, a synthetic man-made drug that is similar to cannabis, may be responsible for the hallucinations.

Anthony Scalzo, professor of toxicology at Saint Louis University, has studied over 30 cases this past month on teenagers and their inhaled consumption of K2. According to ScienceDaily.com, Scalzo observed side effects that included hallucinations, agitation and increase in heart rate and blood pressure, as well as tremors and vomiting.

While the drug is reported to be natural and safe because it is legal, Scalzo’s study states otherwise.

According to ScienceDaily.com, Scalzo stated, “K2 use is not limited to the Midwest; reports of its use are cropping up all over the country. I think K2 is likely a bigger problem than we’re aware of at this time.”

While Tetrahydrocannabinol, a psychoactive substance and main ingredient found in marijuana, is not present in K2, K2 provides the smoker with a marijuana-like high and is preferred over “traditional” marijuana for its ability to camouflage its symptoms.

WebMD, a popular online source for health information, reported that K2 and other legal “herbal incense” products that are “spiked” with drugs do not show up in medical drug tests.

JWH-018 works on the brain in the same way as THC. According to LiveScience.com, health and technology, the compounds found in K2 bind to the neural receptors in the central nervous system, that are affected by cannabinoids. The compounds also bind to the peripheral brain receptors, which affect the bodily immune system.

Other side effects of K2 include pale appearance, anxiety and confusion. The drug is known to increase cardiovascular issues due to its high potency and pose life-threatening problems to other areas of the body.

According to WebMD.com, K2 began its appearance in 2004, becoming prominent on the Internet and head shops in Europe. By 2008, the drug grew in sales throughout Europe, the United States and Canada.

ScienceDaily.com reported that the “fake weed” sells for $30 to $40 per 3-gram bag and is comparable in cost to marijuana. Legislators in some states like Missouri are proposing to ban K2.

newsdeskinternational

03/24/2010 – 10:10 am

Kansas first state to pass bill banning K2

The state of Kansas made national headlines March 10, when Gov. Mark Parkinson signed into law a bill effectively banning the substance known popularly as ‘K2.’

K2 synthetic herbs are becoming more and more popular in head shops across the country. So what is it? According to the label, K2 is a potpourri and is not meant for consumption. But when has a warning label ever stopped someone who wanted to get high, from getting high.

K2 synthetic herb is a chemically induced herb that gives people a marijuana like high. The herb is completely legal, and is even available in some storefronts.

The consumption of this synthetic marijuana is causing a lot of controversy. Some people are upset about the loophole found by teenagers that allows them to legally consume a marijuana like product.

But most are concerned with the potential dangers that smoking K2 possesses. K2 is sprayed with chemicals, and people are worried that smoking this synthetic weed could be more dangerous than a cigarette.

Since it is a new product, most of the debate is based purely on speculation.

newsdeskinternational

03/25/2010 – 8:41 am

Synthetic marijuana use up? States move to ban K2 sales

Kansas became the first state to ban the use of a popular marijuana synthetic earlier this month and now several other states across the nation seek to do the same.

K2 also known as spice, is an herbal substance that when smoked can produce a high similar to the one that occurs when under the influence of marijuana. K2’s intended use was as an incense but now has those who would abuse it scrambling to emergency rooms, suffering from vomiting, hallucinations, increased nervousness and aggression, as well as heart palpitations. K2 has long been banned in Europe, and now the states of Missouri, Illinois, Utah, Kentucky, Georgia, North Dakota, and Tennessee, may soon join the cause expressed by Kansas Senator Jim Barnett. Barnett, who is also a physician, has expressed concerned that K2 may have great potential for abuse.

Kansas has now classified K2 as a Schedule 1 controlled substance. Other substances in Kansas classified as schedule 1 substances include heroin, salvia, gypsum weed, and most opium derivatives. In Missouri, some retailers have voluntarily removed the product from their shelves. Pettis and St. Charles counties have already passed laws banning the sale and use of the synthetic substance.

K2 is bad. i smoked it and was fine, nothing bad happened and it mimiced weed just fine. but then i got my brother, a year younger than i, to smoke it. it affects different people in different ways, and he had a bad reaction. his heart was pounding and it was so scary. he was pale and dizzy, had numbness. he wasn’t just freaking out in his mind, this was physical. i read stories about kids dying, having 12 hour seizures and blacking out for hours or days. i thought i’d have to take him to the ER. i had him lay down and try to relax, i just talked to him and gave him water to help speed his metabolism. i hope this post helps anyone who is having this problem, i’m never smoking K2 again

University students looking for a way to create the effects of marijuana on research mice developed a chemical substitute called K2 or “spice.” It didn’t take long for K2 — a currently legal, smokable herb — to become popular with humans seeking a pot high without breaking the law.

Make the real thing legal, which is natural and not harmful, and this would not even be an issue.

newsdeskinternational

04/07/2010 – 9:05 am

WASHINGTON, MO. > Cities outlaw potlike substances

Washington and Foristell have joined others in outlawing the sale and possession of K2 and similar substances that mimic the effects of marijuana.

A bill sailed through the Washington City Council on Monday with unanimous approval. Those violating the law could face a maximum $500 fine and 90 days in jail, or both.

City attorney Mark Piontek said the law is patterned after a similar one in St. Charles County.

Foristell, which straddles the St. Charles County-Warren County line, also passed its ban on Monday. On Tuesday, the St. Charles City Council voted unanimously to ban the substances. Since the county already has a ban, the effect of the city’s action is to allow prosecutions in its municipal court.

Meanwhile, a statewide prohibition is close to passage in Jefferson City. K2 bans have been approved by both the House and the Senate, but the two chambers have to reconcile minor differences.

newsdeskinternational

04/07/2010 – 9:08 am

Legal ‘Potpourri’ Being Used As Drug
Substance Is Legally Marketed As A Potpourri

Parents in Lake Orion are getting letters from their local police department warning them about a new and dangerous drug, which is completely legal.

It is synthetic form of marijuana and is called K2.

The substance is marketed as a potpourri and can be found in local stores.

Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh said his department is taking it seriously.

“Trends are a dime a dozen, but this one is dangerous. This isn’t the latest fashion. This is something that can seriously harm our youth,” Narsh said.

Narsh said K2 is also known as Spice, Genie or Fire and Ice and is 10 times more potent than marijuana. When inhaled, the effect is instant, intense and potentially lethal.

“It elevates the heart rate, the blood rate. Panic attacks have been discovered in kids across the country, vomiting, hallucinations and who knows what else,” Narsh said.

Local 4 visited a party store and found bags of K2 sold for $40 as a potpourri. Police point out that since the substance is legal and is not a tobacco, it can be sold to someone as young as 10 years old.

Chris Zitny is a concerned parent.

“The things that they have at this age. We didn’t have it when I was young. It’s too bad because there are too many influences on teenagers,” Zitny said.

The substance is currently banned in Europe but is unregulated in the U.S., where police departments are working with other organizations to convince lawmakers to have it banned.

The police department as well as a local organization is working with lawmakers to have the substance banned in Michigan.

The police chief will be holding a presentation of the drug at the local library on April 27th at 6:30pm. The public is welcome to attend.

The herbal incense K2 is legal in North Carolina, but human consumption of the synthetic cannabinoid is against Elon University’s drug policy.

With similar effects to those of marijuana, K2 is a human-manufactured drug that has floated across Europe and the United States since the mid-1990s. Chemicals JWH-018 and JWH-O73, not Tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana, cause the high-induced state.

In the past year, K2 has gained popularity across college campuses. The substance has a high similar to marijuana but can also produce hallucinations, vomiting and aggression.

Whitney Gregory, coordinator of judicial affairs, said she couldn’t comment on indivdual cases involving the substance but she did say that K2 had been brought to their attention.

“The way our handbook is written, certainly the possession of illegal drugs is a violation,” Gregory said. “But that also includes using drugs not as directed.”

She said K2 was not meant for human consumption. Thus a student caught ingesting K2 would face a possible drug violation.

“It’s just like spray paint,” she said. “You can possess spray paint but if you were to huff the can of spray paint, that would be using it not as directed.”

John Huffman, the creator of JWH-018, said in a WebMD.com article the chemicals found in K2 have never been tested on humans. He also said there was no current research on what side effects could be caused by the drug.

Chuck Gantos, director of Campus Safety and Police, said the drug is not a major problem at Elon but “once something gets out and someone makes money from it, things could change”
K2 does not show up on most drug tests. Gantos said since the drug is legal and the department is not searching for the drug.

“I do understand in some states they are making K2 illegal,” Gantos said. “It took just a couple of months for this to become an item of interest in this part of the country.”

Brian Collins, associate director of residence life, said if a student were caught smoking K2 in the dorms it would be a violation just for smoking in an academic building.

“K2 is not something we’ve been coming across,” Collins said. “It comes in a package that looks like incense and it is a white powder. It is possible we’ve come across the chemical and not known what it is. But we are not seeing packages of K2 in the halls.”

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has classified it as “a drug or chemical of concern.” Kansas banned the substance earlier this month and Missouri, Illinois, Utah, Kentucky, Georgia, North Dakota and Tennessee have all expressed interest in banning the substance.

Gantos said the drug could be found on the Internet at various Web sites. Several head shops in Greensboro and Raleigh sell K2 but refused to answer further questions.

If a drug isn’t on the NCAA’s list of banned substances it must be OK to take, right? Not really, and therein lies one of the fears about a new street drug called K2.

The NCAA website has a story about K2, reprinted from Insight, the official publication of the National Center for Drug Free Sport. The drug mimics the effects of marijuana but appears to be far more potent, and also goes by the names of “Spice” and “Spice Gold.”

Kansas is the only state to declare it illegal so far, and because it isn’t on any ban lists and essentially remains legal there are concerns that young people won’t be cautious about using it.

Sally Huggins’ story says it’s being sold as incense at coffee shops, gas station convenience stores and herb stores, but that it’s clearly intended to be smoked by users.

According to Jeremy Morris, senior forensics scientist at the Johnson County Criminalistics Laboratory in Kansas, “Symptoms include a racing heart, skyrocketing blood pressure and high anxiety. Users think their heart will explode. Clearly this is not something to fool around with.”

newsdeskinternational

04/09/2010 – 9:14 am

Push To Ban “Fake Marijuana”

It makes you feel kind of fuzzy in the head, or a little bit stimulated,” explains MSU junior Samantha Simons.

Simons is talking about getting high– but not on marijuana.

“For me, it woke me up a little bit. Made me kind of giggly and talkative,” she says.

It’s “K2” she’s talking about; also known as spice or fake/synthetic weed. It’s packaged as potpurri, but it’s being used as anything but.

“Children as young as 10 are buying it and smoking it like a marijuana product,” says Rep. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge

Jones wants to ban K2. He’s already introduced legislation to do so. K2, he says, is loaded with synthetic chemicals that were never intended for human consumption…

“Science still doesn’t know what this product will do to those young children. It could cause cancer. They’ve tried it on rats. It’s caused partial paralysis, loss of pain sensation,” Jones says.

Krazy Kat head shop on Grand River in East Lansing was the only place we found that actually sells K2. The owner wouldn’t talk on camera but tells us she doesn’t see what the big deal is.

“I say to those people: Profit over safety? Shame on you,” Jones says.

MSU junior Samantha Simons uses K2 and says her friends do too. She thinks banning this herbal high is extreme.

“I think it’s kind of ridiculous to be honest, because something like this you can take in small doses, you can regulate it,” she says. “I think there are more dangerous things kids are up to than K2.”

K2 has already been banned in Kansas and Missouri, according to Jones. He says Russia and much of Europe has banned it, too.

“We heard K2 was the legal version of marijuana and that in itself made me curious,” said the 18-year-old, who acknowledged having smoked pot and gotten high.

So about a month ago, he and some friends fired up some K2.

“We smoked it, and it gave me a pounding headache and made me feel like I was falling and spinning,” the Fort Worth man said. He spoke to the Star-Telegram only on the condition of anonymity because he attends a local college and works part time.”I was hallucinating, I thought I was seeing leprechauns, I couldn’t talk and it made me throw up all over myself.”

Law enforcement agencies are suddenly paying attention to the mostly green, leafy substance, which looks like cooking herbs or potpourri. It is also known as Spice and Scary Spice. Some have described it as “stinky,” like bad incense. It is sold on the Internet and at novelty smoke shops, or head shops, where it is labeled as herbal incense with the disclaimer “not for human consumption, for aromatherapy use only.”

‘Extra high’

Substance-abuse professionals are worried about K2’s availability to young people. It comes in flavors like bubble gum and blueberry. K2 is sold in 3-gram pouches for about $30 on the low end. The most popular and most expensive, K2 Summit, sells for $44.99 plus tax and smells like regular tea leaves.

That compares somewhat to street prices for marijuana, said Sgt. Joe Thornton, a Fort Worth police narcotics officer. He said marijuana grown outdoors can sell for $6 a gram, with the most expensive and potent form — hydroponic, which is grown indoors — selling for $24 a gram. A 3-ounce pouch of K2 equals about an eighth of an ounce of marijuana.

K2 has been banned in Kansas, and legislation is being considered in states including Georgia, Utah, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Dakota and Illinois, according to published reports.

K2 does not show up on drug tests, which is a big reason teenagers seek out the “legal weed,” said Marcene Weatherall, drug and alcohol prevention coordinator for the Keller school district.

“It is very well-known and very much used,” said Weatherall, who first heard about K2 a month ago from students who said it provides an “extra high.”

Weatherall directs drug and alcohol prevention and intervention programming as well as individual student interventions and treatment referrals.

She’s also aware of the dangers associated with smoking K2.

“I’ve heard students talk about the effects like hallucinations, delusions, vomiting, and as they continue to use it, they are also starting to take note” of those dangers, she said.

Authorities in Hawaii are looking into whether the substance might have caused a man to become violent.

A report from KHON-TV/Channel 2 in Honolulu said Bryan Adam Roudebush, 23, a Schofield Barracks soldier, has been charged with attempted murder, accused of trying to throw his girlfriend, 25, off an 11th floor apartment balcony after smoking “spice” and having a reaction.

An herbal product known as “K2,” “spice” or simply “legal pot” is readily available and in high demand in Chicago head shops, despite warnings from health and drug-enforcement officials that smoking the herb may be dangerous.

Business owners testify against ban of fake pot K2 by Missouri Legislature

Owners of several small businesses asked a Missouri House committee to consider the financial implications of banning synthetic marijuana. One such substance is known as K2.

Missouri lawmakers are considering tough restrictions on synthetic compounds that mimic the effects of marijuana. The legislation would make possessing the compounds a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison.

The House Public Safety Committee heard Tuesday from business owners opposed to the legislation. They said rising sales of the compounds have led them to hire more employees and generated more sales tax revenue for the state.

The company that does drug testing for the NFL, NCAA and more than 100 U.S. schools is coming up with a way to detect a troubling new synthetic substance that mimics the effects of marijuana and is so far legal in 49 states.

The state’s top cop calls “fake pot” a real problem and wants lawmakers to take action. Attorney J.B. Van Hollen’s call comes after a big I-Team investigation found Wisconsin turning a blind eye to a “legal high.”

In March, the Missouri House amended a ban on synthetic marijuana, also known as K2, to make any possession charge a Class C felony. The Missouri Senate reversed the House provision on Wednesday so that only possession of 35 grams or more would be considered as a felony, and possession of less would be a misdemeanor. Possession of marijuana carries the same charges.

The Missouri Senate approved legislation Wednesday that would ban synthetic compounds that mimic the effects of marijuana and subject people who possess them to the same criminal penalties as pot smokers.

Omg ppl really? Your concerned that some kid said they hallucinated…..drunk some beer and tell me you don’t start seeing crap after awhile. This stuff is no more dangerous than alcohol or cigs. This is just enfrenging on our rights as Americans! If anything make it illegal to drive while “high” like it is to drive drunk. I havnt heard of any reported deaths because of this stuff……I have however heard of thousands of ppl dieing from alcohol poisoning! Open your eyes people, this is not what is bringing America down! If some one wants to relax n have a puff let them, a happy stoned is a heck of a lot better than an angry drunk! All of you in favor of this bill should stop and think, if this is banned then alcohol should be cause it causes more deaths each year than any other drug, legal or illegal. Keep this out of reach of children for sure, but come on kids are gonna be kids, its your responsibility as a parent to teach your kids about self control and right and wrong, I bet you more teens are getting drunk though then there are smoking this stuff. Anyways in conclusion, yes this needs to be regulated for sure, but to ban it is just plain ignorant!!!

newsdeskinternational

05/09/2010 – 9:21 am

Maybe jman you should read the following article….the drug is dangerous…..

So I read the article suggested to me by newsdesk, I love when it says, and I quote, “From my standpoint, drugs (like K2 and marijuana) and alcohol make people irresponsible and incompetent, which can be fun if nobody is endangered. The problem is how to keep those incapacitated people out of positions of responsibility, like behind the wheel or at work.” End quote. Which is pretty much what I said in my previous post, it needs to be regulated like alcohol is and people do not need to drive or work while impaired, as for the side effects listed, paleness, dizziness, paranoia, anxiety, vomiting, etc. All these are common side effects of alcohol or most perscription meds people take! The only one that does concern me is the seizures some have reported having. I’m curious if these were rare cases of an allergic reactions to something in k2, because I know plenty of people smoking this stuff and they have never experienced any thing like that, plus how much of the stuff were the kids smoking. You as a person have to have self control, abuse of anything wether it be food, alcohol, k2, or street drugs will have bad effects to your heath. There are a lot of people that are alergic to alcohol, but I’m sure a lot of them didn’t know it untill they tried it for the first time. That article was nothing but circumstancial evidence, they listed no hard evidence of tox screens to see if k2 is all that were in these peoples body, or if it could have been allergic reactions. There is nothing there that I see that calls for criminalization of the substance. There is something called the 5th ammendment but it seems like people have forgotten all about it! The ban on k2 is a bunch of nonsense!

jman

05/09/2010 – 5:44 pm

Excuse me, I did not mean to put the 5th amendment, but more so the bill of rights! Sorry for the mis type, I figured I would catch the mistake before some one raises cane about the typo, thanks!

newsdeskinternational

05/11/2010 – 8:56 am

Nassau DA seeks to ban K2 ‘spice’ herb

K2 or “spice” is a synthetic herb and it is being sold legally in smoke shops as incense, but it’s being marketed to teens as a way of getting high.

Crawford County became the first Arkansas county to ban K2, the substance said to mimic the effects of marijuana, Monday.

The Crawford County Quorum Court voted 13-0 to adopt an ordinance that makes it illegal to “use, possess, purchase, attempt to purchase, sell, publicly display for sale or attempt to sell, give or barter” any part of the plant salviadivinorum and any one or more of five identified “cannabinoid” substances linked to a product with the trade name K2 or Spice.

newsdeskinternational

05/12/2010 – 9:02 am

Benton County Cracks Down on K2

Benton County Resident Wendy Barnard doesn’t take K2 in Benton County lightly. She says “Its an emergency. we have kids who are horribly sick from this stuff.” Her son was one of many teens in Benton County who use the substance to get high. After he began using k2 she decided to fight to keep it out of Benton County. Wendy says, “I just don’t want to see our kids get damaged. theres just no excuse for it.”

State lawmakers have given final approval to legislation that would make Missouri the second state to ban synthetic compounds that mimic the effects of marijuana.

The House sent the legislation to Gov. Jay Nixon on Thursday night. Kansas enacted a similar ban earlier this year.

The Missouri bill would outlaw synthetic compounds that are sprayed on dried herbs and flowers and often sold as incense. The product, commonly known as K2, produces a marijuana-like high when smoked or inhaled. It is sold in smoke shops and gas stations around the state.

The legislation would subject people who possess the substance to the same criminal penalties as those who use real marijuana. Those sentences vary depending upon the amount possessed.

You’ve seen the growhouse arrests and marijuana seized by law enforcement over and over again across Central Florida, but WFTV found a new synthetic form of pot is being sold legally and experts say it’s stronger and more dangerous than the real thing.

“It’s going to start smelling really bad in here,” said one user of the drug.

It’ll even get you high.

But this herbal mixture, which some call fake pot, is perfectly legal.

“I could smoke this stuff in front of a cop and they might have something to say about it, but there is nothing they can technically do about it,” said a man addicted to it, who asked to remain anonymous.

The Contact Five Investigators went undercover, in and out of local smoke shops, and not only did we find this burgeoning new drug, we’re buying it. No ID check, no questions asked.

“It’s bad stuff?” substance abuse interventionist Phil Bulone was asked. “Very bad, very bad and parents need to start learning about it,” he replied. “You can actually have a heart attack or a seizure.”

Bulone was a narcotics cop in New York City for 15 years. He says the hot new drug of choice is taking a toll on users across South Florida. Sometimes called legal pot, spice or genie, it’s known generically as K2.

A scientist in a lab apparently created K2 from a synthetic form of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. He did it for research purposes. His recipe leaked to the streets and is now being sprayed on potpourri and incense.

“It’s sold in little bags, it’s $20-$30 a gram for it,” said the K2 addict. He said while it’s commonly called fake pot, the effects are very real. “Munchies, light headedness, mild hallucinations, red eyes,” he said.

“It raises the blood pressure and makes you very paranoid, causes damage to the lungs,” said Bulone. “So I believe this is a drug that’s really going to be dangerous.”

Bulone works at the Drug Abuse Treatment Association, counseling teens at the Martin, St. Lucie and Palm Beach County juvenile detention centers. “I asked them, I said ‘I’m going to be interviewed by Channel 5 and I’d like to know if any of you have tried it.’ After a moment or two several of them raised their hands. When I asked, ‘Why are you using it?’ the big factor is that’s it’s not detectable in a urine test.”

The Contact Five Investigators set out to see how easy it is to buy K2. Undercover, inside a local smoke shop, the clerk pointed out their most popular selling version of the drug. It’s called snafu. We paid $20 and walked out with our stash. No questions asked.

At the next shop, a similar story. The brand of K2 sold there is called Black Magic Smoke. It comes in several flavors. Despite the no smoking reference on the packaging, the goodies were bagged, our cash accepted. Not even an ID check.

The Contact Five Investigators opened both packages, and just as the clerks promised, they were an herbal mixture that looks just like the K2 drug we’ve been warned about.

The Contact Five investigators also searched online and found this: k2cafe.org.

With the click of a mouse, the Contact Five Investigators bought the drug online, only had to sign a waiver pledging we were over 18, and would not be using it for human consumption.

“If I’m a parent and I go into my kids room and I find what I think looks like incense or potpourri, I need to be asking some questions?” the Contact Five Investigators asked Bulone.

“That’s correct,” he said. “If it appears to be incense or smells real sweet like crushed flowers, this could be an indication that it’s K2.”

Personally I find it ridiculous that everyone is so concerned… when alcohol, the number 1 killer in America is legal and people even drive home from clubs from it. Marijuana’s health effects are minuscule in comparison. Im sure some would argue that but the arguments would be so vague its unbelievable. The countless numbers people who die EVERY DAY over alcohol are astronomical.

Thats what should be rallied against. Sorry if my opinion isn’t popular.

newsdeskinternational

05/22/2010 – 8:43 am

Pot-like herb is legal, at corner store

The newest high in Tennessee isn’t being sold in back alleys and dance club bathrooms, but in Nashville-area gas stations, liquor stores and smoke shops.

Gov. Sonny Perdue today announced that he has signed a bill to outlaw K2, also known as synthetic marijuana.

The substance sold at some local smoke shops became a subject of concern in March after two teens were hospitalized at North Fulton Medical Center with ill effects from smoking it. K2, also known as “spice,” mimics the effects of THC, the chemical in marijuana.

Nearly a dozen states and some cities are banning or debating bans on K2 out of fear that its popularity may be on the rise among young people, according to USA Today.

SOUTH BEND — A potential “game changer” emerged late Wednesday in St. Joseph County’s new fight against synthetic marijuana. Local leaders say the herbal incense known as K2, Spice, Mr. Smiley or Mr. Dutch may already be illegal.

Concerns grow over misuse of ‘K2’ — herb that gives marijuana-like high

“K2,” the brand name for a product that’s been sold since 2008 and marketed as incense, is a dried herb that has been sprayed with a chemical compound that when smoked creates a high similar to inhaling marijuana.

K2, a product being smoked by teenagers and young adults to get high, may not be the problem in Baxter County that is in other places, but a proposal to ban its sale or possession here is a move Sheriff John Montgomery believes is an issue of public safety.

K2, a product being smoked by teenagers and young adults to get high, may not be the problem in Baxter County that is in other places, but a proposal to ban its sale or possession here is a move Sheriff John Montgomery believes is an issue of public safety.

COUNTYWIDE
County efforts to ban the sale of K2, a synthetic form of dried herb that mimics a marijuana high, hit a snag Wednesday when the issue was referred to the county’s Health Department. The County Commission was scheduled to vote on an ordinance banning the sale of K2 but decided instead to investigate further and get recommendations.

After mounting pressure from residents, the Mansfield city attorney announced they are drafting an ordinance barring the purchase and sale of K2 by anyone younger than 18. However, some parents say simply regulating the substance – which is being used as a sort of legal marijuana among teenagers – is not enough.

Lawmakers in Georgia recently took the lead in a nationwide debate regarding K2, as Georgia become one of the first states in the country to ban the substance completely. K2, also called Spice, Genie or Zohai, consists of chemically-treated spices which mimic the effects of marijuana when smoked in joints or from pipes.

This is absolutly craziness. If they would legalize marijuana there wouldn’t be all these problems. How many people do you see that smoke pot kill an innocent family driving? You DON”T how many people are killed do to drunk driving? I don’t agree with the K2. What I don’t understand is that so many people are ok with taking prescrition drugs oh wait that’s because you need them right. Pain medition has longer lasting effects impairs judgement as well as does a number for certain organs and by the way are ADDICTING. People that smoke marijuana just don’t want to quit. It is a cure for just about everything! If you feel nauseous smoke and it goes away. You are in pain smoke it goes away. and i don’t care what people make up for side effects. You get hungry and you relax there might be some forgetfulness with prolonged use but nothing like possible death with prescription medition I have never met a pot head that has night sweats or pukes all over theirself because they couldn’t get high. People like you are the problem you are the ones that make people do STUPID stuff to stay out of jail. I can’t stand closed minded people, how many have actually tried it?

Nalah

06/26/2010 – 10:20 pm

I’m not saying there shouldn’t be laws we do need them and if people break the law they should go to jail but thats not the issue. The issue is marijuana and K2. People make “fake pot”, which has awful side effects, to stay out of jail. Marijuana has NO life threatening side effects. And if you have ever met a person that smokes but they are pretty mellow and dont really stand out…i havent heard of people shooting up some place so they could get high. I wish we could stop all the drug crimes they are horrible…All i am saying is marijuana isn’t as bad as everyone makes it out to be! Especially if you take any kind of man made drug even something as simple as asprin or daily medition prescribed by a doctor. As long as people dont cause harm to others i think what they do in there time is their choice…Ben Harper has a song called “Burn One Down” it says

“Let us burn one from end to end
And pass it over to me my friend
Burn it long we’ll burn it slow
To light me up before I go

If you don’t like my fire
Then don’t come around
‘Cause I’m gonna burn one down
Yes I’m gonna burn one down

My choice is what I choose to do
And if I’m causing no harm
It shouldn’t bother you
Your choice is who you choose to be
And if you’re causing no harm
Then you’re alright with me

If you don’t like my fire
Then don’t come around
‘Cause I’m gonna burn one down
Yes I’m gonna burn one down

Herb the gift from the earth
And what’s from the earth
Is of the greatest worth
So before you knock it try it first
Oh, you’ll see it’s a blessing
And its not a curse

newsdeskinternational

06/28/2010 – 8:50 am

New and Controversial K2 Herbal Incense Being Banned in More States

Louisiana is looking to become the latest state to ban the controversial drug K2, or synthetic marijuana. More and more states are looking to ban this product as earlier this year Georgia, Texas, and Kansas passed bans. The Drug Enforcement Agency has classified K2 — also known as Spice — as a substance of concern, and several Arkansas cities and counties have outlawed the herbal mixture. Arkansas legislators last month endorsed a proposal to study the effects of “synthetic marijuana” on the health of young people. The sponsors want K2 classified as a Level 6 controlled substance, the same as marijuana, and the Legislature is expected to take up the proposal when lawmakers convene next year.

Synthetic marijuana, marketed as K2 or Spice, is an herbal substance sold as an incense or smoking material that remains legal in the United States. Though banned in most of Europe, K2’s key ingredients have not been regulated in the United States. Stores across the country are being closed down for selling K2 as efforts to ban the product are put in place.K2 is sold online, in convenience stores and in herbal or spiritual shops, and is usually marketed as incense. The herbs, which sell for as much as $35 an ounce. Stores like TopK2.com will continue to sell the product in states where it is legal.

Arkansas may soon ban an herbal blend police say kids are using to get high.

Over the past few months, many local cities and counties have banned K2 or Spice.

On Friday, the Arkansas Board of Health will meet to consider a proposed emergency regulation to prohibit the products. Users smoke the herbal blend in cigarettes or pipes, just as they would real marijuana.

newsdeskinternational

06/30/2010 – 9:12 am

K2: It Can Get You High & It Is Legal To Smoke

It is an herbal substance that can get you high and it is legal to smoke.

Local parents are being warned by the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office about the potential dangers of teens smoking a substance called “K2 Spice” which can be purchased at tobacco shops and online. The herbal incense has been banned in several states, but not in Florida.

Governor Jay Nixon will go to O’Fallon Tuesday to sign a bill making K2 a controlled substance, with possession punishable by incarceration or fines. According to the Governor’s office, K2 is a synthetic substance similar to marijuana.

Nixon will sign Missouri House Bill 1472, which will make possession of K2 a crime. Any person who possesses a controlled substance of more than 35 grams will be guilty of a class C felony, and any person possessing less than 35 grams of any one of these substances will be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

The bill signings will take place at the St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department.

newsdeskinternational

07/07/2010 – 9:03 am

County officers prepare for synthetic marijuana ban

It’s known as fake pot or synthetic marijuana and has been sold legally in Missouri and many other parts of the country under such names as Spice, Blonde, Summit, Standard and Citron.

At the urging of a parent, the Eau Claire City Council could ban a potentially harmful product from being sold.

The product is known as K2 or spice. It’s a flavored incense that can be purchased online or at certain tobacco shops. In some circles, it’s called synthetic marijuana because the chemical used in it is similar to what’s found in pot. A number of states have banned the sale of K2 and next week, the City of Eau Claire will begin to look into a similar ban.

Washington – K2, or “spice” as it’s known, is the legal form of marijuana and its catching fire with smokers. They say this pharmaceutical-created form of cannabis gives you a faster high, and feels just the same as the real thing.

Nebraska could become 1 of the growing number of states to ban a substance that mimics the effects of marijuana.

State Sen. Beau McCoy of Omaha released a statement Monday saying he would introduce a bill to the Legislature that would ban so-called K2. It is a mixture of herbs and spices sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Users roll it up in cigarettes or inhale it from pipes, just like marijuana.

Several states have banned the substance, including Kansas and Missouri.

The issue of whether to ban synthetic marijuana substances sold legally as incense has been debated by the Illinois Legislature and a bill instituting such a ban awaits the Governor’s signature, said State Rep. Jim Sacia, R-Pecatonica.

The Port Arthur City Council passed an ordinance last week banning the use or sell of K2, a type of synthetic marijuana. The drug is often sold as an incense.

K2, Spice or Serenity – the latter term used by many Southeast Texas teens, according to Port Arthur Police Chief Mark Blanton- mimics the effect of marijuana when smoked.

K2’s development is attributed to John Huffman, the Clemson University chemist who created the substance in the 1990s. The drug is about “10 times more active” than delta -9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active chemical in marijuana, the chemist has been quoted as saying.

newsdeskinternational

07/20/2010 – 10:36 am

9OYS Investigates: It’s pot, and it’s legal

A controversial substance is gaining popularity across the country, and in southern Arizona.

It’s sold as incense in smoke shops, but is commonly known as “K2, Summit or Spice”. While you must be 18 to get into some smoke shops, police say there is no age requirement to buy the product.

Why won’t they ban it, alcohol and other dangerous drugs?
Alcohol is one of the worste drugs of ALL.

ERIN

07/25/2010 – 7:56 am

Until the government can control the pharmaceutical companies that produce drugs that has side effects like DEATH, they need to let the ones that decide to self medicate do s0. Both weed and K2 is natural herb and not some combined chemicals made in a lab. Both of these “drugs” help insomia. high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, relaxation, pain… everything that has a pill form. The side effects of a lab made medicine seem to be much worse than smoking weed or K2. You take a pill for depression and you take the risk of ulcers, kidney failure, loose stools, stomach cramps, vomiting, irrability, trouble sleeping, and the list goes on. When’s the last time you heard someone dying because of smoking weed? Probably not as often as somebody dying because of prescription drugs. Its our lives, we should have more contol of what happens. If you don’t like the effects of weed… then don’t smoke it. Worry about your own life!

The City of Kennett already has in place an ordinance against the sale and possession of synthetic drugs, including, but not limited to the substance widely recognized as “K2 or Spice,” however on August 28, 2010 this ban will become an official state law.

Really. When will we ban drugs? Why do we let people smoke and drink? Whats going on here? I thought we are against mind altering drugs? Oh only those that the government can’t make money off of. I see its just really a corrupt system.

Herbal blends such as the one that put a Tumwater teen in the emergency room after he smoked it last week include synthetic marijuana compounds that are legal but have never been approved for human consumption, according to a pharmacologist who uses them in research.

In keeping up with drug abuse trends, NMS Labs has developed two new blood tests for the key ingredients and synthetic cannabinoids in the herbal blend known as K2 or Spice: JWH-018, JWH-073 (screened, confirmed & quantitated) and JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-019, JWH-250 (screened & confirmed). The tests use the most advanced laboratory technology (LC tandem mass spectrometry), ensuring the results are highly specific and legally defensible.

I dnt recomend this drug to nobody .i smoke it for a month only…at first feel good almost like MJ …my heart started beating a litle faster above normal nothing big.i will smoked every time i was off from work.and every time i will do it my heart was beating faster and faster till yesterday..i roll a blunt ..burned inhale a couple of times ,i started getting high and more high till i was done with the blunt,i was sitting next to the pool in my apartmen ,and started staring at the water ,floor etc..and then i walk back inside the apartment ,my heart was already pounding super fast and having trouble breathing.i felt like i was suffering from a stroke or heart attack .my eyes roll back feeling unconcious for 3 seconds i though i was dead pass out On the couch…and then i snap and took a cold shower at the same time my body was numb not feeling the water cold ,it felt more like dirt …i guess if i would it smoke a little more i would be dead now..i had a overdosis of k2 .k2 is trash kills

newsdeskinternational

08/14/2010 – 8:59 am

Public hearing slated on city plan to ban K2

Residents will have their chance next week to offer input and opinions on whether a marijuana substitute should be banned in Fort Wayne.

Commissioners in central Indiana’s Boone County have voted to ban the sale and public use of marijuana-substitute products known by names including K2 or Spice.

Violation of the ordinance approved unanimously Monday can result in a fine of up to $1,000.

The mixture of herbs and spices is sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. The products are illegal in eight states but not Indiana. Several other Indiana municipalities are considering similar laws.

newsdeskinternational

08/19/2010 – 9:01 am

Avilla bans K2

According to our partners in news, The News Sun, the Avilla Town Council unanimously voted to ban the sale and possession of marijuana-substitute K2.

Pauls Valley, Oklahoma — A display full of K2 packages, described as a synthetic marijuana product that for now is sold legally, was the only target of a thief forcing his way into a Wynnewood and Pauls Valley area store.

When it comes to a legal high in Missouri it seems if there’s a will, there’s a way. Sellers and buyers are finding new products to replace the banned K2 and other illegal herbal incense smoked like marijuana. Businesses are advertising products as “K2 alternatives.”

Missouri’s ban criminalized certain compounds but some companies are finding new compounds to get users high. “It’s almost like they didn’t pass a law against it at all,” Paradise News and Arcade manager Terry Stone said. At the adult store, K2 alternatives are making up for lost profit from the banned K2. “We knew this was going to happen. Everyone changes their business model to go with the times,” Stone said. “It’s not just us there are gas stations selling it.” Makers of the alternatives advertise the products are not made with the specific compounds banned by the law that took effect on August 28.

“If it’s something we’ll have to address every year than that’s what we got to do,” co-sponsor of the ban Representative Ward Franz said. “We can’t just put our hands up in the air and give up and say ‘we can’t beat it.’” Franz says the law’s language may have to be changed to be more inclusive. “We could potentially use a phrase that if something is used or sold for the purpose of getting high,” Franz said. “We just have to be very careful that we don’t hurt anything that’s being sold for good.”

Some companies provide lab results that show its product does not have the banned compounds. Other products are sold with a “Missouri compliant” sticker on the package. Franz says only lab tests can prove what the products are made of. He says if a product is made with the specific JWH compound it is illegal to sell it.

No matter the name or the compound used, law makers thought they were keeping synthetic marijuana off the shelves.

The ban made it a felony to possess more than 35 grams of the synthetic marijuana. Anyone possessing less than 35 grams would face a misdemeanor charge.

11 a.m. — At its meeting this morning, the San Angelo City Council gave unanimous support for an ordinance that would ban the sale, use and possession of K2, a not yet illegal synthetic substance designed to mimic the effects of marijuana.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is urging Congress to look into possible federal moves against synthetic versions of marijuana.
The Iowa Republican spoke on the Senate floor on Sept. 22 about the substances, most of which are referred to as K2 or Spice.

The Texas sophomore will no longer be allowed to use the chemical incense drug K2 without fear of legal ramifications after Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bill banning it Thursday. The drug had been used as a legal alternative to other drugs, like marijuana.

Just found out about K2 yesterday from a friend who calls it “Spice”. He told me it was legal weed so I asked him to hook me up and we smoked it in the car going to a burger place. HOLY HELL, the effects are sooooo not fun. I remember being in the burger place, but I don’t even remember walking out of the car. Everything was slowing down, but sometimes I could make it faster and concentrate for about 2 seconds before i couldn’t feel myself again. My friends were sharing their fries with me but I got cotton mouth and i wasn’t able to swallow my food, nor taste it. I had to drink soda to let the food go down. I had the feeling where i HAD to eat and drink because it felt like that was what was bringing me back to reality. I also remember hitting my knee on the concrete bench and i wondered why it didn’t hurt. I also remember speaking nonsense. I could hear myself, but I couldn’t control it. I felt my heart beating wayyyy too heard and felt like I couldn’t breathe. I think I told my friends “I think Im gonna die” like 1000 times. Then I blacked out until my friends brought me back to school. I started to come back down to earth around 2 hours after I smoked the K2/Spice. I just know I’m never doing that shit ever again lol

Spice, red dragon, genie, skunk and more commonly K2. By any of these names, an herbal incense known to cause a marijuana-like high when smoked is gaining popularity in Columbus, causing some concern throughout the community.

A Hardin County teen was sentenced for selling “K2” to minors Tuesday. 19-year-old Craig Bayes was able to avoid jail time after Juvenile Court Judge James Rapp suspended 9 days of the 10 day sentence, and gave Bayes credit for one day already spent in the Hardin County Jail.

On September 7th Bayes was arrested for selling K2 to minors. The substance is sold as an incense, but has also been used as a synthetic form of marijuana. It is legal to sell, but only to adults.

Two Van Buren High School students were arrested on drug charges Thursday. At least one of them had to be hospitalized after eating more than 10 prescription medication patches.

According to Lt. Brent Grill, the two teens were arrested at the high school, after the school’s resource officer found the students with K2 Spice and Daytrana patches, a prescription medication for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Police believe at least one of them was selling the prescription drugs to other students.

Both students were taken to police department. Shortly after, one of the students admitted to eating 13 of the Daytrana patches just a couple hours before. The student was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and later transferred to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. The student was listed in stable condition as of Friday morning. Once released, the student will face a charge of Delivery of a Controlled Substance.

The other student was charged with Possession of K2.

The case is still under investigation. Investigators are now working to try to identify the source of the ADHD patches. Lt. Grill says they are unsure of how many were sold to students.

The government is moving to outlaw herbal and chemical blends sold as synthetic marijuana at head shops and on the Internet.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has temporarily classified five chemicals used to make fake pot as illegal drugs. The agency says the chemicals mimic THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, and are not approved for human consumption.

Even though there are many states that have adopted plans to allow medical marijuana, the actual drug is illegal for casual use. However, there were several companies that decided that they could make synthetic marijuana and circumvent the laws that saw people arrested for illegal drugs. However, the DEA has stepped in with the FDA to ban the products as there have been some disturbing reports about its use.

Synthetic pot can be bought in convenience stores, drug paraphernalia shops, and just about everywhere on the net. The packaging says “not for human consumption” so it can legally be sold, but it’s branded online as a cheap and effective high.

K2, sold at $20 to $50 for three grams (which is similar to the street price of marijuana), is labeled as incense but is rarely used for this purpose. This relatively new “synthetic weed” has been sweeping the nation, through high school hallways and college campuses. A total of 3,226 people like K2 on Facebook alone.

Medical experts have recently linked several deaths to “K2,” a brand name for a dried herbal blend that can be smoked. K2 contains synthetic chemicals that mimic the illegal narcotic THC. To find out more about these …

The Huntsville Item Huntsville has had its first arrest for possession of K2, a synthetic marijuana that was sold legally as incense before the Huntsville City Council criminalized possession and sale of the substance earlier this month. …

Nebraska’s Governor signed a bill Wednesday outlawing the sale of “K2”, “Spice” or other variations of synthetic marijuana in the state. The bill quickly gained approval in the Nebraska Legislature. It bans a class of chemicals used to make the …

The Drug Enforcement Administration is taking a big step to keep teens away from the synthetic drug known as “K2.” The agency banned the chemicals used to make “K2” and another drug known as “Spice”. They are both popular smokable herbs …

It was good mildly uncomfortable while it lasted, but synthetic marijuana knock-off “K2” is facing permanent banishment. Using its “emergency powers” yesterday, the FDA banned the sale of five chemicals which are used to make K2, Spice, and other such …

With the second possible K2 bust in a week, regional police departments said they hoped to work on a national level for a ban on alternatives of K2, a synthetic marijuana. One day after the Chillicothe Police Department discovered more than 500 grams …

One proposed bill that survived funnel week in both the House and the Senate is a bill that would add the synthetic drug K2 to the list of schedule I controlled substances. These substances are narcotics that have a high potential for abuse and for …

He smoked K2 before taking his own life. “It mimics marijuana. It’s a synthetic marijuana,” says Sen. Tom Hancock, D- Epworth. The legal substance is sold over the counter in Iowa by the names K2 and Spice. By a 50-0 vote, the Senate added it to the …

Several business in the area are suing the city for its ban on K2 and related items; they say they want the city to stop the ordinance from being enforced pending further legal action. The city’s ban on K2 and related items has gotten …

Police say they sent to student into half a dozen stores throughout the city looking for the product called K2, kush or space that was outlawed in Corpus Christi about a month ago. Only one store was found to be in violation: Tobacco Junction on …

Acting on a tip from the Montgomery County Probation Department, Crawfordsville Police seized five shopping bags filled with K2/Spice packets Thursday morning at Bonkerz, said Police Chief Kurt Knecht on Friday. This investigation is ongoing. …

Although police say K2 is relatively new in the drug world… it’s been around long enough to do some damage. Now the Texas state senate is acting… as well as local law enforcement to put a stop to the selling and use of the drug.

An Indianola father will go to Washington DC on April 6 to talk about a synthetic drug he says led to the death of his son. “Every time you do this, you’re picking at a wound a little opening it up. We hope someday from legalization standpoint this all …

It’s K2, or Spice, and it’s one of my worst nightmares as the program manager for the Youth Resources Vanderburgh County Teen Court program. K2 does not cause a positive test for cannabis or other illegal drugs in the routine drug tests we perform on …

Stories of K2 and bath salt abusers are making near nightly appearances on local news programs. Though there are no official statistics to back up the frequency of their use in Adams County, law enforcement personnel will not deny it is happening. …

50 communities have adopted bans on products like “K2,” which use synthetic materials to provide a high that’s similar to marijuana. But law enforcement officials say a state law is needed so district attorneys can prosecute sellers. …

Two active members of the military are facing multiple charges after a K2 bust in Benton County. Deputies arrested Jonathan Hatcher, 20, and Anthony Bombadeir, 20, on Thursday during a traffic stop on Interstate 540 and Highway 71. …

Local law enforcement are now cracking down on the use of a marijuana-like substance called K2. A recent NewsChannel 10 report prompted local police to take action when the substances found in K2 were banned …

Since November 2009, KY3 has heard about K2, a synthetic product that mimics marijuana, and other synthetic drugs. Despite these horror stories of young people harming themselves after inhaling the substance, sales and injuries continue. …

It sells under the names “Spice,” “K2,” “Genie,” “Yucatan, “Fire,” “Sence,” “Smoke,” “Skunk,” and “Zohai,” according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Synthetic marijuana has become popular, sources said, because its chemical …

How can you tell if someone is on K2 or spice? Dr. Fermin Barrueto, Jr. is the Chariman of Emergency Medicine at Upper Chesapeake Health Systems says, “[People high on K2] are not able to function. Some come in scared or complaining of …

Incense that produces a marijuana-like high when smoked comes in a variety of packages with ‘K2’ labeling. K2 incense still is making its way into the hands and nervous systems of Pueblo youth, despite a federal ban on it in November, say two local …

In Anchorage and elsewhere, the products have been sold under the brands K2 and Spice. Both products are being manufactured and branded as incense but advertised as “drugs that get you high.” And they’ve done so, until recently, without breaking any …

“What we’re trying to do is find and get these bath salts and the K2 stuff out of these stores,” Sheriff Walker said. “Kids are gettting on this stuff. They don’t know what they’re doing”. Sheriff Walker and his deputies seized thousands of dollars …

K2 is a relatively unknown substance whose effects should be extensively researched before becoming widely available on the market. Relying on infectious mixtures of psychotropic chemicals, synthetic forms …

2 Arrested For Trying to Sneak Pot, K2, and Candy Into Baxter County Jail

At about 9:00 pm Wednesday, the Sheriff and several deputies caught a man and woman as they drove up to the housing unit, and tried to sneak several items, including candy, marijuana, K2, and tobacco. The woman, Elizabeth Wilkins, was taken into …

State Legislators passed a similar ban last year on so called “K2” products, but even before it took effect other forms of synthetic marijuana with different chemical formulas showed up in stores. The governor says this year’s legislation should apply …

Flushing bath salts: State legislature outlaws synthetic drug also known as …

The legislation makes penalties for possession or trafficking of the synthetic drugs — as well as for the synthetic marijuana products known as “K2” or “Spice” — the same as those for marijuana. It makes possession a misdemeanor and trafficking near …

K2 Strategic Innovations is being relaunched as K2 Global Communications. K2 is a boutique B-to-B PR and marcom firm that now provides global PR services to American and Canadian clients as well as the …

The Department of Health and Environmental Control is in talks with the state’s Attorney General and SLED in an attempt to make synthetic drugs like “K2” and “Bath Salts” illegal to sell in South Carolina.

I thought that with K2 i also could get high like I could with pot without detection. Not so. This stuff will mess you up within two days I had my entire body was turned upside down. diarrhea, cramps, confusion and more. Thought I was going to lose my mind. This stuff can kill man leave it alone.

If potheads are trying to make” fake weed” to get a high off of it. Why don’t they just let the real stuff be legal but regulated on how much a person can have and make it to wear you have to be 25 to smoke it. Because I have never heard of someone dying off of the real stuff and I have even heard of collage students smoking the real weed stuff and passing all of their classes… And people with deep depression using it so they don’t want to be suicidal anymore… And people who have cronic an back pain have used it and while they are on the real stuff they dont feel it the pain anymore and with people who cant sleep very good smk it an wake up refreshed an ready to go..And it is natural that comes from the earth… It doea have some bad ling term side affwects but not wven close to tabacco…tons of People die every year from tabacco since people are dying from that shouldnt they make k2 and tabacco illegal? Tabacco makes more people die yearly than marijuana ever will … So since people are “dying to get high” literally why doesn’t the government make it legal I bet if they do their will be more space in jail for real criminals that rape and murder people… And make it to where police can take more focus on the hardcore very bad drugs like meth, cocine, heroine, acid, shrums, and other things that police and people on the street don’t even kno about because they most Lilly with cone out with different drug that are new to thier kind that will kill alot mire people than weed ever could

Dont criminalize real marijuana
Regulate it !
So people with stop killin themselves to get high when we all kno the pot heads will find a way to get high anyway.. They will huff or do something else like k2 they don’t care how they get high or if their are health concerns so legalize the real stuff that doesnt kill people
It’s funny getting high isn’t illegal but having marijuana on you will.. Make medical marijuana legal so people will stop killin themselves to get high.. And you kno wut your mama always tells you it to try it before you say you dnt like it how can you say sonething is not ok I’d you have never felt what being high makes people who are in seviere pain… N have never smoked weed in my life but I do think that if people are killing themselves over it make it real stuff legal!!

Janet

12/30/2011 – 10:13 am

‘Synthetic’ marijuana is problem for US military

U.S. troops are increasingly using an easy-to-get herbal mix called “Spice,” which mimics a marijuana high, is hard to detect and can bring on hallucinations that last for days.